Run-by Blogging

In about 3 hours, I will see my first students for the year. Normally, I'd be excited about this. But I am not. I am pissed. Do you know why? Because I still don't know what my schedule looks like. Don't know when my lunch is, or when my prep is, or who my students are. Want to see 65 really pissed off teachers? Tell them they won't get their opening day schedules until...opening day.

Sidebar--the problem with a new person of interest is that he's all distracting and stuff. Not intentionally, like SOME PEOPLE we could mention, but mentally distracting in a good way.

Is it Friday yet?

Boys, Bachelorette Parties and Bar Slut Wallets

So. There is currently a "person of interest" in my life. As in, he's interested in me, and I'm interested in him. We met at the housewarming party; he's one of A's friends from her first grad school adventure. Besides being smart, he likes Star Wars and football. Actually, the first thing he said to A about me was "And she's likes Star Wars," like, I don't know, I'd baked him a cake or something. So cool. We went out en masse Friday to this place in the town where I work. Had a few (okay 5) drinks, played pool (badly) and then went to the diner for food (ice cream). We're probably going out dancing this Friday in Hartford. Let's just say, Lady's feeling pretty good about herself. Way better than I've felt in a long time.

Last night, we had my friend Katie's surprise bachelorette party. And when I say "surprise," I mean she actually shut the door when she walked into her friend's apartment because she was so shocked. We got her SO trashed, she sang with a band at a bar, and then we went back to...scrapbook. We also played some games (which I lost at FABULOUSLY!) and had some more to drink.

A and I just spent a lot of money on clothes we really didn't need. I did get, however, a wallet that will fit conveniently into a pocket, so when I go whorin' it up in the bars, I don't have to carry a purse with me. Yay, right?

Tomorrow, I go back to work. Tomorrow, I will see my schedule for the year. Tomorrow, I will see my students for the year. Tomorrow, I will probably cry. A lot. Well, no, not really, but who knows what's going to happen.

It's muggy again. I hate muggy. It's all sorts of bad. I'm also SO tired. Did I mention I didn't get to bed before 1AM Friday OR Saturday? Yeah. I didn't do that in COLLEGE, how am I supposed to do that sort of thing now??

At the end of the day...

...Star Wars movies can solve just about any problem. For today's de-stresser, we are watching Return of the Jedi while creating our first week of lesson plans for the freshmen. I probably should be working more on my seniors, especially, like, finding poetry forms for them to play with. That's what I really ought to be doing.

"And now, young Skywalker, you will die."

Hee hee hee. Poor Luke.

I still have to photocopy pictures for...that thing. I'll do it tomorrow morning.

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

"First" day

Well, today doesn't REALLY count as the first day, mostly because I didn't have any students. But I did have to sit in the library for 3 hours getting talked at while freezing, then got to enjoy an hour of outside time, followed by another talking-at hour, and finished up with an hour and a half of classroom stuff. I now can sign on to my computer (yay, re-set passwords), but something was wonky with the system b/c my email didn't transfer, and I couldn't access my personal drive. If this is a problem on Monday, not a happy camper will I be. Also, still no schedule or class list. Grr. Arg. Etc.

So, I got a set of china. My mother's aunt has sold her house, and one of my mother's crazy cousin's is living in it. This is one of the reasons Auntie sold the house. ANYWAY. Crazy Cousin's Sister is concerned that CC will do damage when she's evicted from the premesis, so I got my dishes. Auntie decided, oh, about a year ago, that I was the only one who both needed the dishes and would take care of them. Mom got a picture of a boxer puppy that Auntie's husband drew. Kind of sad, because I have a lot of memories in that house, but it's better for everyone this way.

A. took the newspaper with her to work this morning. I didn't get to read it. Frownie face.

On the upside, the posters I ordered for my classroom have arrived. Yay!

I am SUCH a geek.

And so it goes...

Today is the last day of my summer vacation. I spent half of it at school, making some photocopies and putting up the "finishing touches" in my classroom. Of course, copying was finite, as I still have no idea how many students I'll actually have. Or what the schedule looks like. 'Cause, yeah.

A's cat is attacking the wall. STRANGE kitty.

We watched "Constantine" last night. Obviously, a second go-round for me, but I still enjoyed it. We know how much I like apoclypse fiction.

I should be looking up some stuff online, or going out to CVS to make photocopies of...something, which I won't reveal, on the off chance that someone is reading this. Anyway.

Getting up early is sucking the big monkey balls. I really could use a nap at the moment, and there are serious temptations to just do it. But I have to be up even earlier tomorrow because I have to be at work BY 7:25, or face the Late Book. Which, as you may well imagine, is not a good thing.

Did I tell you all I read "The Messenger," by Lois Lowry? Well, I did. It's kind of a sequel to "The Giver," but not officially. Okay as far as children's lit goes, obviously a very quick read. Right now, I am reading "The Magician's Nephew," part one of a gagillion in The Chronicles of Narnia. Can you believe I've never read these books? I don't know what rock I was under. But under a rock I was.

*stares at calendar* *runs around apartment screaming*

Funny. Watch and enjoy! http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/endofworld.html

Fox or Foxes?

My brother called me today to ask me what the plural of "fox" is. Does anyone else find that really amusing, or is it just me?

So I went to my friend Erin's sons' birthday/christening party today. Erin has two brothers, one my age, one my brother's age. This is the first time I've ever known anyone to have attractive siblings. The problem, of course, is that the older of the two has a 5-year-old-son, and the other one is...well, you know, like 21. Ah well, they were cool to hang out with for a little while.

Tomorrow we start getting up early for the gym. I have to go to work and bring my cat to the vet. Aren't those two things you all envy me for? Yes, I know, bask in my utter unbelievableness.

what cool harry potter character icons are you?(great icons) by sam55lv
name
age
favorite color	BlueRedGreenpurpleyelloworangepinkgrayblackbrownother
Harry Potter icon
Ron Weasley icon
Hermione Granger icon
Draco Malfoy icon
Random hp icon
Quiz created with MemeGen!

Okla-what-the-fuck?

So A. and I watched Oklahoma last night. Let me tell you, this musical is not good. Hugh Jackman, in his loveliness, could not save this musical. This musical, by my estimation, is worse than Hello, Dolly! and by A's estimation, worse than Carousel.

So, I had some fun with the Doll maker. This is supposed to be me.


This is supposed to be Nimue. They didn't really have the dress I wanted for her, but such is life.


I moved the rest of my stuff today at school. On Monday, I go back to the onerous task of actually organizing the place.

The cats are sitting in the living room windows, facing each other like bookends. As A has just put it, they are "totally worth the price of admission."

Oh, and in response to Sarah...I paid over $30 to fill my tank this afternoon. Yeah, gas prices suck.

Hope everyone has a splendiferous weekend!

The infamous Hob! Here he sits, inside the table I finally finished. (The table, incidentally, is supposed to be purple-ish. 

Cleo managed to get herself into the BOTTOM box of the pile. That's my girl...serious skills. 

Our kitchen the day we moved in. Those Post-It notes tell you just how Type-A we are. 

Year of Wonders

No, that doesn't describe my upcoming school year. It's the book I just finished reading (I'm going to re-attempt the Alamo book at some point, but...ug, it needed an editor).

So Year of Wonders is about this one tiny village in England that experiences the Plague. First person, female narrator. I enjoyed the book quite a bit, actually, although there was a story line that seemed rather...contrived, sort of as a way to get the book over. Still, one of the relationships in the book had a very Hester-Dimmesdale vibe to it, only the Dimmesdale wasn't quite the pussy the "real" one is. If you like historical fiction, you may want to check it out.

Speaking of...I got my library card today. Yay! I will probably use it for "fluff," fiction, the stuff I really won't buy, but would like to read anyway. Also, if they have movies my kids might watch.

And another segue. I got my schedule today. Sort of. I got the list of classes I'm going to be teaching, but no indicator of when I'm going to be teaching them during the day. Also, I suddenly have 3 creative writing classes, so I'm thinking one might be for the juniors, but since they were only going to meet twice a week, what am I doing with myself the rest of the time? According to the enclosed letter, I should know my actual schedule on the 29th. That would be the DAY before the students show up. Yes, thank you. I do know I am teaching one section of honors juniors and one section of honors sophomores, so my life as we know it may not be completely over. Yay for that.

I sold another book on half.com today. Only $2, but it is no longer in my possession and that really is what matters at the end of the day.

Utterly Useless Stuff

Your Harry Potter Wedding by shimmerbaby
Username:
Soon to be:	Mrs Voldermort
How he proposed:	He wrote it on a wall. With his own blood.
Maid of honour:	Luna
Objections:	Voldermort tried to seduce you by running in stark naked.
The outcome:	Uh. You just couldn't resist the manly charms of Lucius Malfoy...
Quiz created with MemeGen!

I took the "What's So Funny?" quiz on gURL.com
		My sense of humor is... Dark Who says Goths don't have a sense of humor? Goth or not, you certainly seem to appreciate the dark side of life, and it shows in your sense of humor. You might like dark (or black) comedy, because it pokes fun at our fears and anxieties. Read more... What is your sense of humor?

Monday Morning After

The party went SO well, I just woke up.

Kidding.

We lost power in half of the apartment at 8:30 yesterday morning, then lost power in the entire apartment around 11. So I did not get to post about the party, or anything else for that matter. Instead, we went shopping for books we did not need, as well as a lamp, toilet paper and paper towels we did need.

So the party went well. It was mostly A's friends or mutual friends, mostly because my friends were either busy or are, you know, not living in the state. We have tons of food and booze left over, so anyone who feels like drinking or doesn't feel like cooking should swing by.

We got another cat. He is A's, obviously. Cleo is not happy about it, although she hasn't killed Hob (that's his name) yet, so we're taking that as a good sign. How, you may be wondering, do I know my cat is unhappy? Well, besides the growling, hissing, spitting and hiding, she also suddenly has a gag reflex and has puked twice now in less than 12 hours--once on my bedroom floor at 3am, and once on my bed while I was out grocery shopping earlier today. So the two loads of laundry I was planning doing have suddenly become three. Yay. She keeps trying to eat Hob's food, so I'm wondering if that might be what's making her sick. It is Kitten Chow after all.

My summer is over starting next Thursday. Mentally, I think I'm ready to go back. However, I don't feel prepared to go back, and that's more due to slacking on my part than anything else. I'm ready to teach my writing class, but still have no idea what to do for my portfolio.

Funny story, school related. My brother calls me from the golf course Saturday morning (which in and of itself is a good way to start a story) and tells me he's golfing with one of my students from last year (he and the kid's older brother are friends). Said former student wanted to know if I could pull any strings and get him into my English class again this year. It's funny, because this student actually got a D one quarter, but overall was at least a high-C student. So I don't know if he wants to have me because he knows me, or because he liked my class, but the sentiment is rather sweet.

I have season 3 of Voyager now, so I'm going to do some time traveling.

First Impressions

Anathema ate dinner with both my parents for the first time tonight. This is an experience for EVERYONE involved, as a lot of wine usually flows, and my parents try to keep their right-wing opinions to themselves, but it doesn't quite work. Also, my brother made an apperance, which adds to the amusement factor. You'll have to check A's blog but...well, they're my parents, and I love them.

We're having a party tomorrow. The apartment doesn't REALLY look ready for it. I wish we had an area rug for the living room, and curtains, and art pieces...but we don't. What we do have is booze, and a cat (possibly 2 by tomorrow) and a lot of desire to please, so that should even it all out.

Cleo just had a hair ball in the hallway. Wasn't that special? Since her cat food is supposed to control that sort of thing, I'm a bit peeved.

The screen is bouncing, and I'm having trouble typing. Think I might have had too much to drink with my parents? Thank God for the D.D.

My cat made her drunk mother climb under a table to fill her fountain. Either she's smarter, or I'm dumber, than we all thought.

Discuss.

Abuses of the English Language

The following sentence appears in the book Echoes from Women of the Alamo:

It was the evening of the last day before the Alamo would fall at dawn of the next morning...

WTF??? I literally had to read the sentence three times to figure out what was going on.

Also, Always Maxi Pads' new saying is "Have a happy period." Did a man make that up? 'Cause seriously...yeah.

Chewbacca is one of the hunks of 1983 and He-Man is a homoerotic cartoon. This information brought you by VH1.

I got my junior text book all tabbed-out for the year. In other words, I went through and tabbed which stories/poems/essays/etc I'm hoping to teach. I figure between that and the syllabus I wrote for Creative Writing, I actually did some work.

Hope everyone's weeks are going well.

Disturbing, but really freakin' funny. 

Disturbing, yet intriguing. 

So true...so very true. 

More amusing pet rodents. 

Funny, wanted to share

I stole the following list from here.

Things To Do Before John Roberts Is Appointed To The Supreme Court:

1. Get that abortion you've always wanted.

2. Drink a nice clean glass of water.

3. Cash your social security check.

4. See a doctor of your own choosing.

5. Spend quality time with your draft age child/grandchild.

6. Visit a foreign country.

7. Get that gas mask you've been putting off buying.

8. Hoard gasoline.

10. Borrow books from library before they're banned - Constitutional law books, Catcher in the Rye, Harry Potter, Tropic of Cancer, etc.

11. If you have an idea for an art piece involving a crucifix - do it now.

12. Come out - then go back in - HURRY!

13. Jam in all the Alzheimer's stem cell research you can.

14. Stay out late before the curfews start.

16. Go see Bruce Springsteen before he has his "accident".

17. Go see Mount Rushmore before the Reagan addition.

18. Use the phrase - "you can't do that - this is America".

19. If you're white - marry a black person, if you're black - marry a white person.

21. Take a walk in Yosemite, without being hit by a snowmobile or a base-jumper.

22. Enroll your kid in an accelerated art or music class.

23. Start your school day without a prayer.

24. Pass on the secrets of evolution to future generations.

26. Learn French.

28. Attend a commitment ceremony with your gay friends.

29. Take a factory tour anywhere in the US.

30. Try to take photographs of animals on the endangered species list.

31. Visit Florida before the polar ice caps melt.

32. Visit Nevada before it becomes radioactive.

33. Visit Alaska before "The Big Spill".

34. Visit Massachusetts while it is still a State.

Why do I keep screwing this up?

I keep calling the latest SW movie "Return of the Sith" instead of "Revenge of the Sith." I actually did it in the A/N of a story I posted online. O.M.G. How dumb am I? My status has a fan has plummeted.

Cooked dinner again tonight. Our stove is really screwy (10 mins. this morning to cook an omellete...WTF???), but we're adjusting accordingly. I get to cook my father dinner tomorrow night, as my mom is working late, and Dad is bringing me a piece of furniture they bought me.

The apartment is actually warmer during the evening hours than it is during the day. No WONDER I've been having trouble sleeping. Well, that and the crazy cat running all over the apartment chasing pieces of felt. Yup, that's my cat, gotta love her.

I promise tomorrow I'll start doing work for...work. Really. *looks at calendar and groans*

Short and Sweet

Well, season two of Voyager arrived in the mail today; I am VERY excited to have the New Earth episode. And, you know, the rest of season two.

Had dinner with my parents this evening, which was nice. My brother and I may be going out tomorrow night with some of his friends to this club down by the beach. Now that he's 21, this doesn't bother me nearly as much as it would have two or three years ago.

Although I'm home on a Friday night, this does not seem to be bothering me. Maybe it's because I'm home at my apartment, and not being a loser at my parents' house? *shrug*

All right, the bonus episode of CSI is on right now. Yay!

Everything Pizza

Diverse and adaptable You enjoy the full buffet of life It's hard to you play favorites with friends... or flavors There's very little that you dislike!

What's Your Pizza Personality?

Ah, the gym

A. and I joined a new gym yesterday, and they gave us a VERY good deal. So we went this morning and I did the treadmill. Now we're going to Target to buy workout clothes. Yay, shopping!

Yesterday we got a TV, thanks to my brother and his truck. Today I have to go check up on my brother to make sure the house is still standing. I can't believe I have to babysit a 21-year-old.

He called me last night to let me know that he couldn't find Sparcy. I'm hoping she was just hiding in the house somewhere, and when I go home today she'll be there, eagerly awaiting me. I'm going to kick my own ass if she REALLY got eaten by a coyote this time.

My dept. head called the house last night, so brother called to relay missing cat and said phone call. Finally got in touch with said boss...I'm moving my classroom! Basically, I get to move down to where all the other English teachers are, so I'm not all isolated with the social studies' teachers. The new guy, who is going to be a lab teacher, will have my old room...or the room of the woman next door (she's moving to the retiree's room.) So that's what I'm going to be doing next week. Whee!

Off to shop!

Inaugural Event

Anathema and I actually used the kitchen last night to make dinner. While she was gone, the toaster oven and microwave were getting heavy use, but I didn't want to cook for just me because that seemed like a waste of time. Anathema made a lovely chicken thing, with only a minor problem of creating a lot of smoke. Luckily, our place isn't up to code because we have no smoke detector, else...well, you get the idea.

We bought curtain fabric yesterday, and now my mother has the dubious honor of sewing said fabric into curtains. We still don't have curtain rods, of course, but one thing at a time, eh?

I have a song from the musical!Buffy episode in my head. WTF is that all about?

I should go for a walk this morning, but as it's already 70+ degrees out, just shy of 8AM, I'm thinking I'll maybe take a dip in the pool later instead.

Hope everyone has a good day. Today, we look for a TV.

This was someone's icon on www.livejournal.com/~fanficrants. I thought it was WAY too cute and had to share. Courtesy of nissinirvani.